Refrigerator



Jan. 7, 1936. c. E. L. LIPMAN REFRIGERATOR Filed July 30, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i fili/[ghi IIIi i Patented Jan; 7, 1936 vPATENT. OFFICE BEFRIGERATOR Carl E. L. Lipman, Chicago, lll., Aassignor to Lipman Patents Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,300

3 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to refrigerators and has for its purpose the provision of an improved refrigerator.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a refrigerator cabinet having a plurality of independent compartmentsI which may be refrigerated to widely differing degrees of temperature to suit special purposes. Preferably the independentcompartments are insulated from each other and are refrigerated by independent cooling elements supplied with refrigerant from a suitable source. it is also within the contemplation of my invention to disperse the cooling air circulated over the. refrigerating unit in such a manner as not to disigure the walls adjacent v `the refrigerator. Other novei features and their .advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of one embodiment of mylinvention given in connection with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with this invention, a portion of one exterior door being broken paway to illustrate the inner sealing door.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, and y Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Flg..2.

The illustrated refrigerator comprises a cabil 80 net I having a relatively large storage compartment 2 and a smaller independent freezing compartment 3 formed by an insulated L-shaped partition 4 builtv integrally within the cabinet with the front wall set back from the front of 35 the cabinet to provide an air space between the freezing compartment and the storage compartment formed by the partition wall. The front I0 suspended in the storage compartment 2.-

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention the evaporator III is also of the flooded type and 50 has an unusually large amount of eifectivesurface in order. to take advantage of the greatly in` creased capacity of a compressor when operated at a high back pressure. Either evaporator may,

of course, be of any suitable type employing either 55 natural or forced air circulation.

The two evaporators may be supplied with refrigerant from any suitable source. In the present instance a separate refrigerating unit including a sealed motor compressor II, fan I2, condenser I3 and thermostatic control I4 and 5 control switch I4a is used to circulate refrigerant through each of the evaporators. The use of two units provides a'very simple and efficient supply and control for each evaporator and therefore each compartment independently of the l0 other evaporator and corresponding compartment. The refrigerating units are shown mounted upon the top of the cabinet, each unit being enclosed by a hood or casing I5 provided at its front with a grill I6 through which air may 15 be taken in and further provided at its top with a series of louvers I1 through which the air is exhausted. As can be seen from Fig. 2 the louvers are arranged to direct the exhaust or discharge upwardly and forwardly thus dispersing 20 vthe discharged air in such a direction as not to mar the walls'or ceiling adjacent the refrigerator. I

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that there is provided a refrigerator having a plurality of independent insulated refrlger- 25 ated compartments'one within the other and each cooled by-its own cooling element, controlled by its own thermostat, set for its own desired temperature independent of the other. The compartments include an inner freezing compartment which is independent of and insulated from the main storage comparment and by the storage compartment from the atmosphere and which may be refrigerated independently of the main storage compartment,l the independent freezing compartment being formed by an integral insulated partition wall. Due to the fact that the freezing compartment front wall and doors are set back from the front exterior wall of the cabinet, the temperature differential between the inside and outside of the freezing compartment is less than if the freezing compartment door were the exterior door. Similarly the temperature differential between the storage compartment andthe exterior is less than if the storage compartment were open to or in communication with theifreezingcompartment and therefore operating at a lower temperature than necessary. The temperature differential being lessened, the heat transfer, particularly through the door openings, is lessened and the emciency of the entire box is raised. l,

The freezing compartment which need only be relatively small as it is normally utilized only for making ice or ice cream and'storing frozen des- 55 serts and the like may be maintained at tempera- .tures below freezing by a correspondingly` small refrigerating unit most efficient for this purpose. The main storage compartment may be main- ,tained at a temperature above freezing but suilifrosting can be -eliminated by an evaporator of this type. The foregoing arrangement permits maintaining the freezing compartment and/or the storage compartment at any desired temperature absolutely without affecting the other compartment since each is operated by its own thermostat which is unaffected by the temperature conditions of the other compartment. This is not possible with prior boxes where one thermostat controlled one cooling element refrigerating both compartments. L

In such installations the temperature of the storage compartment would affect the thermostat to the extent of causing it to shut off the refrigerant supply before thefreezing compartment was cold enough, or if set-to permit sufficient cooling of the freezing compartment would allow the temperature in the storage compartment to drop below freezing. In other words, there was no independence of compartments and control as is obtained by my invention.

Other Vadvantages will be apperent to those skilled in the art to whom it will also be apparent that minor changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

l. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a plurality of independent insulated compartments 5 therein having independent doors thereto, one compartment being `within the other and having its door within the outer compartment, a cooling element in each of said compartments, an individual control for each of said elements, and 10 means forl circulating refrigerant through each of said elements independently of the other elements.

2. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a plurality of independent insulated compartments l5 therein having independent doors thereto, one compartment being within the other and having its door within the outer compartment, a cooling element in each of said compartments, and individual control for each of said elements, and a 20 refrigerating unit for each of said cooling elements and arranged to circulate refrigerant therethrough independently of the other units and cooling units.

3. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet provided 25 with a freezing compartment and a storage compartment, said compartments being separated by an insulated partition built integrally into the` cabinet, the front wall of said partition being set back from the front wall of the cabinet, said freezing compartment having an inner door, an independent cooling element in each of said compartments, an individual control for each of said elements, and means for circulating refrigerant 4through each .of said cooling elements independ- 

